Bautzen/Budyšin

In the midst of a thunderstorm I parked the van on the hill at the Parkplatz Schliebenstraße, not that far away from the Aussichtspunkt Protschenberg, the viewpoint from where Kurt Hielscher made his photo. I hesitated for a minute or two and then decided to dress for the rain, get my bike from the van and just go for it. And then, closer by than I expected, I arrived at the viewpoint, soaked wet anyway. Then suddenly, it stopped raining and the sun came out. I strolled around a steep hill through wet grass to get the best angle while avoiding the bushes and trees that hindered the view. But, what a view. Wow!

For the second photo, I went down to the Spree/Sprjewja river (about which later more) and back up over the bridge to the city center. How satisfying to cycle around here seeing it first from the distance! And I must say, the center is a real gem. Back at the van, I had to share with Kim what I just had seen, so I made a second round around the center but this time with the van, and Kim. 

View on the Altstadt of Butzen from the Friedensbrücke with the Alte Wasserkunst (the Old Waterworks that dates back to 1558 AD) in the front next to the Scharfenstegbrücke. At the white house on the left, one can find the Imbiss & Biergarten Altstadtblick. Kurt Hielscher made his second photo from here.

To be able to get to the Alte Wasserkunst, I had to go down to the Spree/Sprjewja river and find the right position at the Uferweg. Unfortunately, there was a closed fence with barbed wire blocking the way to the terrace of the Imbiss & Biergarten Altstadtblick from where I thought the photo was made. After concluding it wasn't a good idea to try to climb over the fence, I suddenly noticed the doorbell and mustered up the courage to ring it. No one answered and after a while, I drifted off until I finally heard the voice of an old lady behind me. I explained my intentions to her and she opened the fence, but also told me it was only for a few minutes. I thanked her and showed the photo from the book and she pointed me in the right direction. A few moments later, a man popped up heading towards me with firm steps yelling: "How dare you to ring the bell when the fence is closed!" I tried to explain, and the lady also tried to stand by me, but he just kept angry and sent me away. He had worked through half the night and was still sleeping whenI rang, so I can get that, but I drove all the way from The Netherlands to make the photo (okay, next to something like 20 others). Anyway, I am happy with the result and sorry for disturbing the man, but I'd love to stop by one day when the Imbiss is open and then have a drink with him.

When you come from the Friedensbrücke and jump into the city center and turn left, you 'll pass the Lauenturm with the monument dedicated to King Albert (1828-1902) from Saxony with the inscription "Dem König Albert von Sachsen, Das Dankbare Bautzen" (1913). The King is known for being able to speak Sorbian, a local Slavic language, and Bautzen is famous for its Sorbian minority, and mustard. There's even a Sorbian Museum. From its nearly 40.000 inhabitants an estimated 5% belongs to the Sorbic minority. Learn more about the Sorbian minority here.

From left to right: Michaelskirche, Wasserturm, Dom St. Petri, Rathaus and the Lauernturm on the right with the King Albert from Saxony monument on its facade.

Characteristic baroque facades at the Hauptmarkt. While Bautzen was grey and with 75% of its houses without residents before the end of the Communist era, today it is colorful and attractive and defiiitely worth a visit.

Glimpses of the city center of Bautzen with on the second photo the statue of Der Ritter Dutschmann (1585-'76) on the Hauptmarkt. On the fifth photo, we see the back of the Rathaus at the Fleischmarkt, while the front with the tower is on the Hauptmarkt.

Fountain on the Fleischmarkt with Kurfürst Johann Georg I von Sachsen (1585-1656) in front of the Cathedral St. Petri. In the Middle Ages, this fountain was part of the water supply system. This is the highest point of the Altstadt, which could be supplied with Spree River water from the Alte Wasserkunst. The old tub was replaced by the current fountain basin in 1865. The fountain also serves as a monument to the Saxon Elector John George I, during whose reign, in the Peace of Prague in 1635, Lusatia, and thus Bautzen, came under Saxon rule from Bohemia. 

Down at the Spree river with the Alte Wasserkunst that pumped the water from the river up to the center.

Small church at the Protschenberg-Friedhof, the cemetery.

Going down from the Friedensbrücke to the Spree river and the Alte Wasserkunst.

Parked my bike at the Protschenberg viewpoint and jumping into the bushes to find the right view.

The Friedensbrücke.

Below: View on Bautzen from the Protschenberg.